1
general::
Increase the price or cost of something, as in We'd hoped to invest in some land, but they've raised the ante and now we can't afford it. This term alludes to the ante or stakes of gambling. [Slang; late 1800s]
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): raise the ante
Go to up the ante.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs